Known as the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group, a group of British Members of Parliament will meet with U.S. federal agents on Feb. 7 for a three-day conference on spam, malware, rogue dialers, viruses and the overall inefficiency of the Can-Spam Act.
The FBI-sponsored event comes on the heals of an agreement formed last year between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.K.'s Department for Trade and Industry, the Office of Fair Trading and the Information Commissioner to jointly address international cyber security issues.
During the three-day summit, which is also sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and MessageLabs, lawmakers and agents are scheduled to set an international policy for stepping-up more aggressive tactics on curbing spam and viruses, as well as a more cohesive international legal alliance when it comes to investigations and prosecutions of alleged virus writers and spammers.
"Spam is still a problem but there is hope," said Ed Gibson, FBI assistant legal attaché at the U.S. embassy in London. "The FBI is sponsoring this event which will address the work of Can-Spam and ever more virulent viruses."
Those expected to attend include Claire Hobson, DTI head of U.K. Telecoms Policy, who leads the Government’s anti-spam policy, and MPs Derek Wyatt, Ian Stewart and Ian Taylor.